One of our most popular classes, this workshop is perfect for managers or business leaders looking to improve their coaching and leadership skills. Learn how to really listen, ask better questions, and increase engagement on your team. Get practical tools to improve your leadership skills and assess how effectively your team is functioning.

Time: 8:30am – 1:30pm

Location: Coastal Offices, 132-328 Wale Road in Colwood

Room: Olympic Room

Cost: $160 + gst (includes lunch)

Dates: February 19

March 21

April 23

Radical Retention

In a climate where good employees are getting harder and harder to find, it’s important for businesses to know what today’s employees are looking for in order to engage and commit. The answers may be simpler than you think. Looking at some key retention indicators and real life applications this workshop will help you understand what you need to do to keep great talent. It may surprise you to learn what’s really important to your employees and what it takes to keep your best people on your team.

Time: 9:30am – 12pm

Location: Coastal Offices, 132-328 Wale Road in Colwood

Room: Olympic Room

Date: March 14

Cost: $85

Curate Your Culture

Culture may just be the biggest attraction and retention factor in a labour market where shortages are looming. Learn what it takes to create a culture that makes you an employer of choice using four important processes: DEFINE the culture you already have, REFINE to create the culture you really want, SUSTAIN the culture you’ve created and RECRUIT for people who fit that culture.

Time: 9:30am – 1:00pm

Location: Coastal Offices, 132-328 Wale Road in Colwood

Room: Olympic Room

Cost: $145

Date: April 30th

HR Checkup

Do you know where potential HR problem areas exist within your business? Are your managers equipped with the knowledge, tools and confidence they need to effectively manage your team? Many business owners don’t think about their HR until something happens that has potentially costly repercussions for their business. Find out where you might be at risk before these things turn into costly issues.

]]>https://www.smart-hr.ca/workshop/workshops-you-dont-want-to-miss/feed/0Change is Easy – if People Understand the Whyhttps://www.smart-hr.ca/leadership/change-is-easy-if-people-understand-the-why/
https://www.smart-hr.ca/leadership/change-is-easy-if-people-understand-the-why/#respondWed, 06 Feb 2019 18:02:38 +0000https://www.smart-hr.ca/?p=929When it comes to change, we all fall within a range from looking for any excuse to make a change, to being completely change-averse and trying desperately to keep things the same. Between these extremes, most people fall somewhere slightly left of centre. They don’t seek change for its own sake, and often need a compelling, convincing argument to make a change.

In a dynamic global culture where change is almost the only constant, it can be frustrating for business owners and leaders when employees and even managers, resist change or appear to need far more information, lead time, and adjustment time than there is to give. An unsuccessful change effort can lead to decreased productivity, morale, and profit – the impact of which can lag on for months or even years.

“A resilient organization is one that can effectively innovate, adapt and perform in the face of adversity (not just in good times).” says Executive Coach Maureen Moriarty.

“Resilient organizations often bounce back even stronger when stressed versus being flattened by their own inability to change.”

So how can organizational leaders ensure that necessary changes are made successfully? How can they minimize resistance and ensure quick buy-in and support from employees and managers? The answer may be easier than you think – connect them with the WHY.

Change is rarely about just taking on something new. There is almost always an element of letting go of what was in order to take on what will be. This is significant for many people. They are afraid of how change will impact them. Many of them will be required to move well outside their comfort zones as a result of the change. The first question out of their mouths is often WHY? Why do we need to change? Why can’t we leave things the way they are?

Why is one of the most natural responses to change – we’ve been asking WHY since we were in Kindergarten! In his ground-breaking book, Start With Why, anthropologist and author Simon Sinek proposes that what makes people respond to things on an emotional level is a connection to the WHY. (His Ted Talk on how great leaders inspire action is worth the 17 minute investment:

Every organization on the planet knows WHAT they do. These are products they sell or services they offer.

HOW

Some organizations know HOW they do it. These are the things that make them special or set them apart from their competition.

WHY

Very few organizations know WHY they do what they do. WHY is a purpose, cause or belief. It’s the very reason your organization exists.

Simon Sinek, Start with Why

“People don’t buy (or buy in) to what you DO,” says Sinek. “They buy WHY you do it.” According to Sinek’s research, for most successful endeavours, companies, and leaders, in recent history, the consistent theme has been the ability for leaders to communicate their compelling WHY. When people understand and connect to WHY, they quickly and easily buy into the HOW and the WHAT. So how does this connect to helping people in your organization better respond to change?

Most leaders, according to Sinek, communicate from the outside of the circle, in to the centre. They start with the WHAT. In reference to implementing a change, it might look like this: “OK team, here’s what we are going to do . . . “ Sometimes, they move to the HOW. “Now that you know what we’re doing, here’s how we’re going to do it . . . “. Very few leaders, however, get to the WHY, and that’s the most important part. In fact, he suggests that 50% of organizational leaders don’t even know their WHY. It’s the part that creates an emotional connection that will motivate people to either come on board or put up roadblocks. The way to inspire action, he says, is to start in the circle’s centre, and move out.

Following is an example of how a software company might communicate an impending change from the inside out.

WHY: “Our vision is to be the most innovative productivity software company in the world. It’s what drives us and makes our customers successful. Because we are committed to maintaining the competitive advantage that allows us to keep being the go-to platform for business customers, we need to make some major adjustments to our product offerings in the next 12 months.”

HOW: “This means you’re going to see some significant changes to job assignments and responsibilities, an increase in productivity expectations, and some pretty tight timelines. Rest assured we’ll work together to create an effective workflow where everyone is working to their best strengths. It might be an exciting opportunity for all of us to learn new things.”

WHAT: “At the end of 12 months, we plan to have evaluated all our software products and made updates and revisions where necessary, with little to no interruption to customer service.”

Imagine how differently employees might have responded if the WHAT message had come first, and/or if that was the ONLY message they got. They would likely have responded with fears around what this would mean for individual jobs, worry about increased workloads and work stress, assumptions about how it was going to be accomplished and the impact it would have on them. In other words, resistance. It would result in slowdowns, questions, and whether intentional or not, sagging productivity and morale.

Starting with WHY the change needs to happen at the beginning of your communication process isn’t the only thing you need to do when implementing a change. There are many other change management strategies that can help you develop a plan for moving from where you are to where you want to go. However, having the emotional buy-in from your team – or at the very least, their understanding of WHY the change is happening, will pave the way for a smoother, faster, more effective transition.

As HR professionals we often carry the responsibility of assisting Executives with navigating the inevitable changes that our organizations must implement, with the people they affect. Using the principle of the Golden Circle, we can influence top leaders in our organizations to understand why the WHY is so important and the dramatic impact communicating it effectively it can have on the success or failure of change efforts within the organization, and on its bottom line.

]]>https://www.smart-hr.ca/leadership/change-is-easy-if-people-understand-the-why/feed/010 Tips for Effectively Terminating an Employeehttps://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/10-tips-for-effectively-terminating-an-employee/
https://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/10-tips-for-effectively-terminating-an-employee/#respondWed, 06 Feb 2019 17:58:55 +0000https://www.smart-hr.ca/?p=925One of the worst jobs a manager or business owner ever has to do, is terminate employment with a team member. No matter how many times you do it, or how good you get at doing it, it always feels terrible. Even if the person has done something to “deserve” getting fired, there is a person behind the behavior who is losing their livelihood, and that’s hard to forget. While this task is never easy, there are some ways you can prepare (and protect yourself) from potentially damaging liability. Implement these ten steps to ensure this difficult task goes as smoothly as possible.

Plan Ahead – planning the meeting ahead of time will give you the best chance of having a successful meeting. If you’ve planned your agenda, timing and know what you’re going to say, you’ll be more confident and in control of the meeting.

Always consult a lawyer – whether you are dismissing for or not-for cause, seek the counsel of an employment lawyer to ensure that you are not conducting a wrongful dismissal, or are offering inadequate severance. Don’t rely on the Employment Standards Act to determine all your legal obligations to a dismissed employee. In many cases (particularly for long serving employees or employees in senior positions), your liability for severance to the employee may be much higher than the minimum severance prescribed under the Employment Standards Act as expressed in the common law of the Province. The money you spend on this advice can more than compensate for a potential claim against your company. If you are offering the employee any severance over and above the minimum severance prescribed under the BC Employment Standards Act, then it is generally a good idea to require the employee to sign a “Release of Claims” before paying any additional severance.

Keep it simple – don’t waste time with small talk. It only postpones the agony for both of you. Get to the point quickly. Follow your script. Leave no doubt as to the fact that they are being let go, and as to your expectations of what is to happen. If you are letting the person go for cause there should be documentation on the performance issues you’ve been working through and you have followed progressive discipline procedures. In this case you can let the person know why they are being terminated. If it’s a not-for-cause dismissal, keep your message simple (“This isn’t working out.”) and provide information on severance and notice. Don’t allow the person to push you with questions about why, as it heightens emotions and can end in a defensive argument.

Have a Witness – there should always be a third person in the room; this could be an HR person, the person who does your payroll, or another manager. The witness doesn’t contribute to the discussion, but simply observes the meeting in case there is any contradiction between what you have said and what the employee has heard (or says later).

Use a Neutral Location – if possible, the meeting should not be held in your office or the employee’s office, but in a neutral location such as a boardroom. Make sure that the room will not be used by anyone else during that time.

Control the Interview – be careful not to allow the employee to derail the meeting with questions, comments, pleas, or something totally unrelated. Stick to the agenda you have set. Have a letter outlining the basic terms of the dismissal, e.g. the reason for the dismissal, the final payments being made for wages, vacation pay and severance, the termination of any benefits and the obligations on the departing employee to return all company property. Have the ROE and severance check (if applicable) with you at the meeting, along with any documentation (release of claim etc.) you want the person to sign.

Be prepared for any reaction – the employee may or may not respond in keeping with their character; it’s hard to predict how people will react to this type of news. Be prepared to handle any situation that may arise. Keep in mind that how you say something is as important as what you say. Be empathetic and respectful. Regardless of the circumstances, you want to help preserve the person’s dignity.

Plan the exit – ensure your IT department is coordinated to ensure computers are being locked during the termination meeting. Ask the employee for the return of all company property (like keys or security cards) the employee may have in his possession. Give them at least thirty minutes to clean out their personal property. It’s up to you whether you would like to have this done under observation. Try to schedule the meeting at the end of the day so that – if possible – the person can clean out their office when other staff have gone. If this is not possible schedule a time after hours to meet the employee so that they can clean out their office in private. If possible, don’t schedule the meeting on a Friday as next steps are difficult for the employee to take on a weekend.

Plan your communication with staff – this is always touchy, as you don’t want to give too much information, but you also don’t want your staff making assumptions about what happened. However, less is better in most situations. Anything you say to staff could potentially get back to the terminated employee and give them a reason or evidence to come back with a claim against you. Simply telling the staff that the person has been let go is typically sufficient.

Document the meeting – either you or your witness should write a brief report documenting the meeting that is kept on file. Simply record what was said, how the employee responded, and what was asked of the employee.

Here are some things to avoid in a termination meeting:

Giving employees false hope or say you’ll help them find a job.

Saying, “I feel really bad about this.” It makes the person think you may have made a mistake and could change your mind.

Trying to defend yourself or the company. Arguing will only create resentment and frustration on the part of the employee.

Apologizing – you can express regret that the employment relationship didn’t work out, but don’t apologize.

Making value judgments or attempt to analyze the reasons for dismissal. Cite the reasons briefly and factually.

Using words like “incompetent” or “dishonest”. Focus on performance issues that have been documented.

Planning and consultation with an attorney will help you to mitigate the risks inherent in employee terminations, and will help you be more confident in navigating this challenging task. You can’t change the fact that the news will likely be difficult for the employee, but your preparation and respectful delivery can go a long way to ensuring their dignity is upheld, and reduce the chances of a lawsuit.

Dan just received notice that another employee was quitting – the third in less than a month. He was frustrated that he’d be hiring again. Yesterday, Chris and Michelle had a heated argument in the staff room, and people who heard it were visibly upset. He was beginning to wonder if he needed to hire someone to assist with conflict management. Later, he had a performance conversation with Stacy, who was lagging in meeting her sales quotas. On top of all this, the last financial statement he’d received from Jeremy contained several significant errors, which was very unlike him. Dan couldn’t deny that the team dynamics and performance at his company had taken a downward turn in the last year. People were leaving faster than he could hire them, and the atmosphere around the office was toxic. Dan felt he was spending his days dealing with people issues instead of running his business. In spite of his best efforts, he was not making headway.

Unfortunately, Dan’s story is not unlike many small business owners who find HR issues frustrating and time-consuming. Business owners, often untrained in people management, can feel a lack of confidence that leaves them guessing as to the best way to lead their teams. Time related pressures may lead to short-cuts or circumventing relationship building to expedite business requirements, resulting in something similar to Dan’s experience. Being unclear about what constitutes good team leadership can results in being unaware of how your actions impact your team.

Evidence of Good Leadership

Strong leadership brings about a corporate culture that feels natural and authentic, not forced. These leaders are open, and communicate in a way that ensures everyone on the team understands the company vision. They also make sure all team members understand of how they fit in to the big picture, and feel that their contribution is valuable. Good leadership provides growth opportunities according to individual strengths, acknowledging what each team member has contributed to the company. Employees see that helping their coworkers succeed helps them succeed as well. Corporate values are alive and visible within the organization. People are engaged, happy, collaborative and enjoy coming to work.

Evidence of Bad Leadership

Bad leadership results in a culture that is apathetic at best and toxic at worst. Talk from leaders is meaningless because what staff hear and what they see is not aligned. Communication with employees is poor, resulting in rumours, back-stabbing and a lack of trust. Employees have no idea how they fit into the big picture or how important they are in making it happen. Growth opportunities are rare and corporate values are invisible. Employees are jaded, have no loyalty to each other or the organization, and bring frustration, negativity, and fatalism to work every day.

Dan may not realize that his frustration with the constant turnover is causing him to be negative and short with his staff. He’s clear on his values and communicates them regularly, but when he’s under the gun, he may not always “walk the talk”. Ignoring conflicts has led to flare-ups within the team, and poor performance on many levels. Lack of attention to a struggling employee has resulted in potentially costly errors from someone he can usually count on. He knows he’s in over his head but can’t afford to hire someone to take on the HR. It all feels like too much.

While it’s not easy, in time good leadership can turn a challenged culture where HR issues abound into a strong, dynamic one where the team works together for a common goal. This is good news for Dan or anyone in a business leadership role. It takes effort, commitment and persistence, but it can be done.

Top Four Leadership Skills

1. Authenticity – Leading By Example

There is no substitute for authenticity – consistently demonstrating your values and being an example of what they stand for. This requires thinking through your values, and how you can apply them in a practical context. If you value learning from mistakes, how can you apply this in your interactions with your staff? If your vision is respect for all perspectives, what steps can you take to build this into your team dynamics? If you do not connect your actions and your values, you run the risk of leaving your team fearful of trying new things, disillusioned, and unmotivated.

Good leadership is focused on building honest relationships with employees and creating a foundation to guide actions and behaviours. Authentic leaders are positive, truthful, open and supportive. They don’t cover up mistakes or blame others and genuinely care for their employees.

If Dan is honest with the team about some of the areas where they struggle to meet expectations including where he had fallen short he might be surprised to find them on board with making improvements. Dealing with issues head on instead of ignoring them would help him stay on top of the team’s performance, and let them know he can be trusted to create a safe and positive workplace.

2. Communication – Inspiring Passion

If you communicate your enthusiasm for and belief in your vision, your team will follow with the same energy and work toward helping you reach your goals. When people are connected to the vision and understand how important their role is in achieving it, they are energized and committed. The more you connect them with the big picture, the stronger their buy-in and cooperation. Here’s an example of how a company might communicate and inspire passion regarding an impending change.

“Our vision is to be the most innovative productivity software company in the world. Because we are committed to this vision, we need to make some major adjustments to our product offerings in the next 12 months. This means you’re going to see some changes and an increase in productivity expectations, but we’ll work together to make sure everyone is supported. We have every confidence we can improve our products and services together!”

Imagine how differently employees might have responded if they heard “We need to increase our productivity in the next 12 months while we implement some major changes.” They might have responded with fear, anxiety, assumptions and resistance resulting in slowdowns, sagging productivity, low morale and a failed project.

If Dan is able to reconnect his team with a passionate vision for his company, he might be surprised to find them inspired to contribute with enthusiasm because they feel they are important even necessary to fulfilling that purpose. United towards a positive cause, some of the HR problem areas may resolve themselves.

3. People Building – Empowering the Team

A great culture requires a great team, and a great team requires a great leader. According to a recent study by McKinsey & Company of 189,000 employees, being supportive was the number one of four behaviors that accounted for 89% of leadership effectiveness (read more here). Good leaders focus on supporting and developing their teams, capitalizing on employee strengths and helping them contribute to the organization where they are at their best. When people feel they are valued and important, they will be motivated to do well.

By committing to some one-on-one time with his team members to talk about their development goals and supporting them in their job roles, Dan just might see a change in productivity and morale that will actually save him time as his team focuses on positively moving forward instead of complaining and fighting with one another.

4. Reaching Out – Knowing When You Need Help

While growing these leadership skills will help you gain credibility with your team and stabilize some of the negative behaviours creating problems in your organization, there may come a time when you recognize what you are facing is beyond your expertise. Bringing in some HR help from time to time could take off the pressure you feel when you’re out of your depth and doing so could actually save you time, money and reduce your stress.

Dan could hire an HR consultant to assist him with improving his hiring processes, as well as gain an understanding as to why his turnover is so high. The money he spends for the knowledge and tools in this area will more than compensate for the time and money he spends by not doing it well the first time.

As you grow your authenticity, communication and commitment to supporting your team, you will find yourself influencing and positively impacting their lives. As they begin to feel valued, supported and inspired, you’ll notice a marked change in their contribution, and in the success of your business.

]]>https://www.smart-hr.ca/leadership/small-business-leadership-how-to-inspire-passion-and-empower-your-team/feed/0Small Business HR: Strategies for Successhttps://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/small-business-hr-strategies-for-success/
https://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/small-business-hr-strategies-for-success/#respondMon, 18 Jun 2018 02:29:51 +0000http://www.smart-hr.ca/?p=851On any given day, if you’re a small business owner who’s managing a team, you may find yourself reviewing resumes, interviewing for vacant positions, dealing with performance issues, training staff, resolving employee conflicts, filling out HR forms, looking up employment standards, coaching the team – the list goes on. Small business owners often can’t afford to hire an HR staff person, so they struggle to manage things on their own. This results in frustration (“I’m not an HR person!”), HR tasks falling through the cracks (“I’ve GOT to remember to send in that ROE!”), and a team that’s not being managed well. As your business grows, so does the amount of time you find yourself spending on people issues.

Systems are Key

So how can small businesses manage their HR with small or no budgets? The key is creating systems and processes that are sustainable and repeatable for often-used HR functions. Creating repeatable systems takes time and effort up front, and is often the reason business owners don’t do it, but it pays dividends in the end.

Imagine if you had a checklist of 10 steps (and templates) to follow every time you hired, wouldn’t it be easier than starting from scratch every time? Wouldn’t it also make it easier for someone else (another manager or supervisor) to pick up that process instead of you having to do it all on your own?

While there are many HR components necessary to manage your team, there are three areas in which building systems can help small business owners be more effective and efficient.

1) Hiring

Hiring too fast or hiring desperate almost always ends up in bad hires, resulting in costly turnover and a drain on management time and energy. To create your system:

Next, create templates for each repeatable part. For example, job postings can have standard phrasing about your business and the kinds of people you want to hire. All you have to add are the specifics around the new vacancy. Interviews can be streamlined by preparing general questions in advance and adding job-specific questions when you interview.

Establish a timeline and work backwards from the employee start date and put each step into your calendar.

This package is ready to go and the process can be repeated in less time with less hassle. Next time you need to hire, follow the checklist, enter the timeline into your calendar, edit the templates and you’re ready to go.

2) Performance Management

A simplified performance management (PM) process will also save you time.

Long, arduous, metric-heavy reviews are often not sustainable for small businesses. An ongoing, agile, continuous-feedback approach is more likely to give you better results. Remember that employees prefer immediate, in-the-moment feedback as opposed to a dump-truck approach once a year. Here are the steps:

Determine a realistic, manageable PM timeline that fits your business model and industry (Annual review? Quarterly reviews? Monthly check-ins?). Create forms for each session (templates are your friend). You may want to mix it up. If you’re doing quarterly sessions to follow up annual reviews, use the opportunity to talk about what’s important to your staff (the Gallup Q12 is a great place to start http://www.goalbusters.net/uploads/2/2/0/4/22040464/gallup_q12.pdf)

Diarize all PM sessions and create follow-up actions so your calendar prompts you to do them.

This process can be a huge time saver and give you a more effective way to motivate and engage your team.

3) Training and Development

The evidence that investing in development creates high employee engagement is overwhelming, but small businesses can struggle with the costs, but creative growth opportunities don’t have to cost a lot. Here are a few ideas:

Cross-training – could Susan train Jillian to operate the switchboard?

In-house peer training – can Sally teach the sales team how to use Excel more effectively?

Lunch and learns – could you bring in interesting speakers from your community?

Leadership training or mentoring – could managers coach and develop high potential employees?

Creative team days – what about a day dedicated to creative, brainstorming, and blue-sky thinking on an upcoming project?

The key to success is a consistent, scheduled approach.

Decide at the beginning of the year how many training activities are realistic. A speaker once a month? In house training every quarter? Two hours of cross-training every month?

Put the dates in the calendar. This avoids the “Oh no! Tomorrow is lunch and learn and there’s no speaker!” scenario.

Create diarized tasks that relate to each event. Perhaps the first week of the month is your time to find the lunch and learn speaker, or a month prior to in-house training – work with your team to flesh out opportunities.

Document all these steps so you can repeat them the following year.

Success Strategies

Each of these processes take time to set up, but you only have to do the hard work once. After that it’s “pick up and go”. Here are some final thoughts to ensure your success.

Keep your processes simple. The more complicated they are, the less likely you are to follow through.

Put in the hard work up front. It’s the key to being able to sustain the plans in the future.

Be realistic about what you can do. It may be nice to have 3 interviews but is it doable? Fewer events with greater consistency are better than lots of events that don’t happen.

Evaluate and edit. If you’ve tried a process and it’s not working, figure out why and adjust.

While systems are helpful in streamlining your processes, Human Resources involves “humans” so it’s important to note that there will always be circumstances where something or someone messes up the system you have carefully created, however, this should be the exception rather than the rule. Deal with these anomalies as they arise and return to your system.

Finally, if you just don’t have the time or expertise to build these systems for your business, consider hiring an HR consultant to assist you with building them. This investment gives you the tools you need to execute them in the future.

]]>https://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/small-business-hr-strategies-for-success/feed/0The Coach Approach in Creating Resilient Teamshttps://www.smart-hr.ca/leadership/the-coach-approach-in-creating-resilient-teams/
https://www.smart-hr.ca/leadership/the-coach-approach-in-creating-resilient-teams/#respondSat, 02 Jun 2018 21:51:16 +0000http://www.smart-hr.ca/?p=874In today’s constantly changing business environment, the need for organizational resilience has never been greater. Successful companies are those who can confidently face challenges, solve problems, navigate change, and recover quickly from setbacks and adversity. To do this, organizations rely on a resilient workforce and managers play a key role in fostering resilience within their teams.

Resilient employees are confident, adaptable and flexible. They demonstrate energy and stamina in meeting challenging goals, experience challenges and setbacks with perspective and a learning mind-set, and can draw on all areas of life to maintain a healthily balanced perspective and emotional well-being. Resilient organizations simultaneously sustain competitive advantage over time through their capacity to deliver excellent performance against current goals and effectively innovate and adapt to rapid, turbulent changes in markets and technologies.

Achieving both personal and organizational resilience, however, is easier said than done.

The Stress/Resilience Connection

There is a powerful connection between stress, overwhelm and low resilience. According to the 2010 General Social Survey, one in four Canadian workers describe their day-to-day lives as highly stressful and 60% of these individuals identified work as their main source of stress. The most impactful relationship in the lives of most workers is the one with their manager, so it makes sense that this relationship contributes to or mitigates their stress on a daily basis.

According to Alexandra Bisson Desrochers at the Centre for Studies on Human Stress in Montreal, “Since protective factors can modify our ability to overcome difficult life events, we should try to improve the ones we have control over, like altruism or a good sense of humour. Everyone has his/her toolbox and it is up to you to pick the right tools during adversity.” By doing something that is within our control, we can increase our ability to be more resilient. If we are stressed at work and home and work stress goes down, it gives us the space to grow our resilience. This is where the manager’s influence has huge ramifications for the team and organizational success.

The Coach Approach

By coming face-to-face with employees more often and being involved in their growth, development and job satisfaction on a continuous basis, managers can connect in powerful ways that really matter to their employees. When team members feel known, cared about and supported by their managers, stress goes down and satisfaction goes up. Here are some strategies for managers to reduce stress and build resilience by moving from a “managing” to a “coaching” approach.

1. Build individual and team trust. When trust is present, employees feel comfortable to admit mistakes, ask for help, take risks, be gracious with one another, focus on objectives, offer and receive constructive criticism, share ideas and work collaboratively. A manager who builds trust creates an environment that naturally reduces stress and gives employees a place to be at their best every day. This involves creating an open space for trust to be fostered and not tolerating toxic, negative behavior that undermines trust on the team. This kind of trust-building does not happen without a coaching approach. Being “on the ground” with the team, seeing what they are seeing, sensing what they are not saying, and noticing what is happening day to day allows the manager to reinforce good behavior and step in quickly to manage the bad.

2. Increase awareness. Managers who are aware of what their teams experience are ahead of the curve in creating space for resilience. In a coaching role, the manager meets one-on-one with his/her team regularly to ensure team performance is being discussed and issues are addressed. The following areas can have the biggest impact:

a) Clarity around goals and roles. Employees who understand what is expected of them experience less stress and anxiety than when expectations are blurry or inconsistent. Clarity around job roles and company expectations results in confident, adaptable workers.

b) Workload. Managers who understand their team’s workloads are ensure the team isn’t being over-taxed and burned out, and their workforce is happy and productive. Regular one-on-one conversations are essential in mitigating the negative impact of over-worked employees.

c) Stress level. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety indicates that “Workplace stress is the harmful physical and emotional responses that can happen when there is a conflict between job demands on the employee and the amount of control an employee has over meeting these demands.” Further, “Much stress related absence is caused by the behaviour of line managers towards their staff and their refusal or inability to identify when employees are suffering from stress.” If at least one-quarter of the workforce is experiencing stress that is limiting their productivity and effectiveness, it goes without saying that managers who take action towards reducing stress will also reduce absenteeism, poor focus, negativity, illness, and low productivity, making space for the growth of resilience.

3. Offer flexibility. One constant dynamic identified in the research on employee resilience is flexibility in the workplace. Supporting the Desrochers quote earlier, it appears that being able to control some elements of their jobs provides employees with the much-needed space to grow resilience. Letting the team manage their own schedules, flexible start and finish times, the freedom to duck out for an appointment can have an incredible impact on engagement and job satisfaction.

Kathleen Christensen, who launched the Sloan Foundation’s National Workplace Flexibility Initiative, sponsored major research on the business outcomes of workplace flexibility. In one study of multiple large US corporations, she found that flexible work arrangements had positive outcomes on financial performance, as well as operational and business outcomes. The research shows that employees who had even a small degree of flexibility in when and where work got done had significantly greater job satisfaction, a stronger commitment to the job, and higher levels of engagement with the company, as well as significantly lower levels of stress.

The level of flexibility managers can provide will vary based on industry and business needs. A manager in touch with his/her team will find creative ways to provide employees with flexibility, freedom and control at some level of their jobs.

4. Be real and lead by example. As managers become more coaching-oriented, employees’ expectations of them rise. Team members long for authenticity in their leadership. “They want to see actions that are aligned with words, and that what is being asked of them is being lived out by the one doing the asking. Coaching managers are not afraid to be real” to admit their own mistakes and share their experiences of dealing with setbacks and disappointments. This inspires their teams to do the same. Team members then see their managers as allies, feel less alone in their struggles and are more open about their experiences. When it’s safe not to be perfect, resilience grows.

Rich Fernandez, Harvard Business Review, June 2017 says, “Building resilience skills in the contemporary work context doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s important to understand and manage some of the factors that cause us to feel so overwhelmed and stressed at work.” The manager’s active involvement with his/her employees in a coaching role is a critical element in reducing overwhelm and stress, and giving breathing room to allow resilience to grow. Trust, awareness, flexibility and authenticity are the touchstones by which resilience can be achieved.

]]>https://www.smart-hr.ca/leadership/the-coach-approach-in-creating-resilient-teams/feed/0Innovative Onboarding: How to Give New Hires the Best Starthttps://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/innovative-onboarding-how-to-give-new-hires-the-best-start/
https://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/innovative-onboarding-how-to-give-new-hires-the-best-start/#respondSun, 27 May 2018 15:25:33 +0000http://www.smart-hr.ca/?p=869Innovative Hiring Practices to Engage New Employees

Amy is excited about her new role with Office 123. When she arrives on her first day the receptionist doesn’t know who she is and asks her to sit in the lobby. Twenty minutes later she receives a phone call with instructions to show Amy to her to her workstation, where the IT guy is still under her desk setting up her computer. Amy waits awkwardly until he is finished and sits down to await further instructions. A few minutes later she receives a stack of forms from HR and is instructed to fill them out and give them to her manager. Amy completes the forms but realizes she doesn’t know where who or where her manager is. She asks someone in the workstation next to her for help her but when she knocks on the manager’s office door she’s told to she’s on an important call and is sent back to her workstation and review the company’s website. After an hour, her manager takes Amy on a cursory walk through the office introducing people briefly by name. They meet for another half hour and review the corporate mission and values, at which time Amy is referred to the receptionist to get options for places to have lunch in the area. Amy walks out alone and is not sure she wants to come back after lunch. She feels she’s made a horrible mistake in saying yes to Office 123’s offer.

Amanda is also excited about her role at Office XYZ. She is greeted by name and welcomed to the team by her manager at the front door. She is led to an open space where they spend several hours talking about her new role, the company’s values and mission, Amanda’s goals and how she can be supported to be effective in her first weeks. Amanda is taken to her tidy, well-equipped workstation where she finds all required equipment and supplies as well as a welcome card signed by the team and a company swag bag (including company branded coffee mug, T-shirt, and water bottle, and gift cards to Amazon and a local coffee shop). Amanda is asked to complete the forms on her desk for HR but before she finishes Annie introduces herself as her “buddy”. Annie gives Amanda a tour of the office and introduces her to the team in each department. Annie talks about what she loves about working at Office XYZ, including their great team, and lets Amanda know about the teambuilding event planned for later that afternoon. Annie takes Amanda to lunch and gives her an opportunity to ask any questions she has so far. By the time Amanda gets back to her workstation, she’s thinking that taking this job is probably the best decision she’s ever made.

Both Amy and Amanda began their day with unbridled enthusiasm for their new roles, but their onboarding experiences led them to very different conclusions about the companies they had chosen to work for. You never get a second chance to make a first impression and first impressions are often difficult to change. Even if Office 123 is a great place to work and Amy’s first day was an anomaly, it will take weeks or even months for the company to win Amy back, whereas Amanda is “all in” from day one.

New employees whose arrival is highly anticipated and valued will be instantly engaged and eager to buy in to the corporate culture. In contrast, those who feel “processed” (just another cog in the wheel) take a long time to recapture the enthusiasm they may have felt when they walked through the door, or worse, walk out the door even before their probationary review.

Why is Innovative Onboarding Important?

1. It gets new hires to successful performance faster. Understanding what is expected of them gives a new employee a leg up on successfully hitting the ground running.

2. It improves employee retention. Gostick and Elton, authors of “The Carrot Principle”, say that only 4% of new hires decide after the first day that they are sure they want to stay with their current company, but with a structured and engaging onboarding process, 66% of them are likely to remain with a company for longer than 3 years.

3. It gets new hires engaged immediately. Creating a fantastic, stress-free first day where employees are welcomed, immersed and given the opportunity to dig in to their new role is a sure-fire way to get them feeling fully engaged. When that’s continued throughout the onboarding process their commitment and motivation to perform deepens.

4. It improves your employer brand. Your onboarding process is an opportunity to brag on your company, including all the great perks and benefits they get from saying YES to your offer. In turn, they will brag about you to their friends and family. “Can you believe my company gives us . . . ?”. This leads to becoming known as an “employer of choice” in the marketplace.

Onboarding Principles

Focus on team-building: Put new hires on teams to begin to build teamwork. The more quickly they get to know their co-workers the stronger their bond to the company.

Make it personal: Gallup surveys show that job satisfaction is higher in employees who feel they are cared about in the workplace so use the onboarding process to get to know them. Curious, open-ended questions will help you find out what motivates them, how they learn, where they will easily succeed, and where they might need support. Check in with your new hires regularly to ensure the onboarding experience is accomplishing what you want it to.

Engage the manager: An engaged manager sets the stage for a long-lasting, dynamic relationship that leads to retention. The manager should lay out the onboarding/training plan early in the process and check in both formally (weekly meetings) and informally (over lunch) to chat about how it’s going in the new role and offering ongoing support.

Buddy up: A buddy provides a safe place for your new hire to go to during the first few weeks and months, reducing the stress of information overload and overwhelm. This relationship will assist with culture integration and is key to new employees feeling valued and supported.

Get them working right away: New employees should not be sitting around waiting for something to happen. On their first day, and every day afterward, give them meaningful tasks they are invested early. While training is part of onboarding, there are generally tasks that can be done, with a bit of guidance, so new employees take ownership of their role from the get-go.

Examples of Innovative Onboarding Practices

Here are a few examples of innovative onboarding practices. While the ability to implement these ideas will vary with different sized businesses, see if you can take the idea and find a way to make it work at your company.

Pre-boarding: Providing new hires with information about the company a week before they are hired is a great way to get people excited about working for you. This could include FAQs, a welcome packet with the company history, core values, press clippings and what a new employee can expect during their first day, week and month, an org chart showing who their manager is and how they fit into the team structure, etc.

Gamify the process: You may not be able to do this like Google, but the idea is to make onboarding fun. Even small firms could plan fun team events when new employees arrive, or make a game out of learning about the company. Your creativity will get your new hires pumped about working for you.

Celebrate the hire: Bring in lunch for the team, let the new hire introduce themselves at a staff meeting, talk to the team about what made you choose them for the role and how excited you are about their contribution.

Show your company values: Don’t just highlight them. Show actual examples of how your employees “live those values” and make them come to life.

Get them “in the know” quickly: Schedule meetings with managers and key employees so the new hire gets a lay of the land and increases their connection with the team. Provide them with a glossary of acronyms, buzzwords and a who’s who list of key people in each department.

Provide opportunities for team members to connect based on interests: Some larger companies assist employees with connecting with others on the team who have similar likes and interests (somewhat like an “employee match.com”). If a new employee is into hiking, they can find others who have the same interest, making it easier to make connections.

Effective onboarding is one of the most important things a company can do to engage, excite, and draw in a new employee, yet very few companies do this well. Onboarding should be a team-building exercise that brings the team together rather than a boring info session before they are handed their first tasks. How can you add some spice to your onboarding process to quickly get your new hires motivated, productive and enthusiastic about your company?

]]>https://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/innovative-onboarding-how-to-give-new-hires-the-best-start/feed/0Social Media at Workhttps://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/social-media-at-work/
https://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/social-media-at-work/#respondSun, 20 May 2018 00:06:24 +0000http://www.smart-hr.ca/?p=866You don’t have to look too far to hear social media horror stories – employees taking things too far online (either willfully or inadvertently) and causing damage to their companies’ reputations, or from employers who confess social media use at work is creating huge challenges with focus and productivity. It’s becoming a significant HR issue for many reasons, but it’s also hard to get a handle on. This was impressed upon me when I delivered a workshop on this topic at the Victoria’s popular Social Media Camp in May of this year. While there were over 500 attendees, I assumed policy would not be a particularly interesting topic, and anticipated a handful of people at the workshop. To my surprise, the room was full and close to 50 people were eager to hear more on the subject.

From the workshop participants, it was clear that employers don’t want to spend hours policing their employees’ social media use, but they also don’t want to end up on the wrong side of a bad decision that leaves them vulnerable or at risk because of a careless online post, or struggle with poor productivity because of misuse of social media at work. Fortunately, employers can minimize their risk and ensure that their employees know and understand expectations around social media use.

Social media mishaps by employees can have a very real impact on business. It can positively impact reputation, brand, and visibility, resulting in business sales and growth. But it can equally have negative impacts on those same things. A social media policy is a good place to start.

A policy is not guaranteed to prevent all misuses of social media any more than speed limits prevent everyone from speeding, but it will ensure that no one is able to say they didn’t know or understand what was expected of them. If they don’t comply with company policy, it can be treated as a performance issue.

How complex and strict your policy is will depend on how “at risk” your business is (i.e. a company handling patient records or highly confidential legal information may be more at risk than a small company providing a local service). It will also depend on how much time you are willing to invest in enforcing the policy.Whether you choose a formal, regimented policy, or take a more casual approach, here are some things to think about.

Clarity – be clear about what information is considered confidential and/or illegal or appropriate. Don’t assume your employees know what this looks like. Create a process for determining permissions for social media postings (what they can post without permission, what needs approval before posting, what can never be posted). These guidelines will reduce ambiguity and make it less likely someone inadvertently posts something that puts you at risk.

Consequences – be clear about the consequences of contravening your social media policy. The consequence should be appropriate to the seriousness of the infraction, but it should be clear that if they deliberately ignore the policy, there will be ramifications. Don’t create a model that is too restrictive or complex that it can’t be enforced.

Personal versus non-personal information – online, the lines between work and what employees may consider personal, are blurry at best. If they mention your business in a post or are seen in photos or videos in work-related settings or uniforms doing things that would be deemed inappropriate or damaging to your business, it’s no longer personal. Help them understand that whatever they put out on social media has the potential of going well beyond their personal use.

Responsibility and accountability – help employees realize they are responsible for what they post online. Provide examples of what is allowable and what is not. Have regular conversations highlighting examples of your team using social media effectively. Good judgment and common sense are subjective. Make sure your employees know what those words mean in your company.

Monitoring – ensure your team understands that their social media use at work may be monitored. This should be clearly stated in your policy. How strictly you monitor will likely depend on how at risk your company is, how complex your policy is, and how much time you are willing to spend ensuring your policies are being adhered to.

Writing the policy is just the first step. Consider the following to assist you with successfully implementing your policy with your team.

Introduce the purpose of social media in your company – help employees understand why the policy is in place so that they can see the importance of protecting your company, as well as protecting themselves from the potential ramifications and risks of improper use.

Create a safe space for employees to share their concerns before taking them online – if employees know they can air their concerns and issues with management and are confident that those things will be addressed, resolved, or at least heard, they are less likely to take those things online in frustration.

Make the productivity connection – if your business is successful, everyone wins. When social media is misused and productivity suffers, so does everything else in the business, including their performance and continued employment with your company. When they understand this, they are more likely to comply.

Educate employees – invest time and effort in educating your team on the ins and outs of the policy. A separate handbook can provide a quick and easy reference regarding all elements of the policy and make it easy to access and remember. Reviewing policies on a regular basis with your team increases their retention of the information and keeps it top of mind. Review your social media policy with new employees as part of onboarding to ensure they get it from day one with your company.

Honour the policy – if you’re going to the trouble of creating a policy, make sure you actually follow through with the consequences when someone crosses a line. If you’re inconsistent, letting some things slide by while others are enforced, your team won’t know when to take you, or the policy, seriously.

Social media use at work is here to stay and banning it from the workplace entirely is impossible to police and not likely to be effective in the long run. Social media policies are a great way to strike a balance between creating guidelines for how it can be used effectively and protecting your business from potential damage online, as well as ensuring that it’s not being misused to the detriment of daily productivity and your company’s bottom line.

]]>https://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/social-media-at-work/feed/06 Tips for Building Wellness in Your Workplacehttps://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/6-tips-for-building-wellness-in-your-workplace/
https://www.smart-hr.ca/hr-strategies/6-tips-for-building-wellness-in-your-workplace/#respondTue, 01 May 2018 00:07:00 +0000http://www.smart-hr.ca/?p=860These days, few would argue the importance of employee engagement on a company’s bottom line. Where once “engagement” was a concept that didn’t even appear on an employer’s radar, then became arguably one of the most used buzzwords in business, it is now integral to any operation. Why? Because we now know that employee engagement has a significant, tangible impact on a company’s success.

Engaging the Evidence on Wellness

The impact of employee health and wellness on business is now where engagement was 10 years ago. There is also significant evidence on the ROI of lowering stress and a creating a healthier workforce, but it’s taking businesses a while to catch up. We know that employee wellness will have big pay-offs, but assumptions around cost and value leave many business owners straggling to get on board.

While some things have changed it’s hard to believe that not so long ago smoking was permitted in offices, restaurants and even airplanes and there is still a healthy margin for improvement. According to a Maclean’s article in October, 2007, “Stress is part of an explosion in workplace mental health issues now costing the Canadian economy an estimated $33 billion a year in lost productivity, as well as billions more in medical costs.”

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety states “Workplace health and wellness programs should be a part of the overall company strategy for a healthy workplace.” While statistics show that the trend toward providing wellness initiatives is growing, many businesses are slow to make this a regular and important part of employee engagement.

Why So Bullish About Health?

A 2015 research survey report by Deloitte titled, Employers Still Bullish on Wellness Programs, states that while employers generally believe that wellness programs are an important recruitment and retention tool, they also view some components of these programs as negative, invasive, or another chore they have to fulfill.

Then there is the issue of mandatory versus voluntary. If you make programs mandatory, you may find some employees feeling resentful or put-upon especially if they are already involved in their own health and wellness activities. As soon as you make something mandatory, it no longer feels like a perk or benefit. However, if you make it optional, the potential exists that those who need it most will choose not to participate.

Another reason employers may drag their heels is that measuring the ROI of a wellness program can be difficult. While theoretically, a business may believe that health and wellness is good for employees (and by inference, business), practically, they may not be convinced it will be good for their business. According to the Deloitte research,

“Seeing effects from programs is not immediate and might take time. Few employers likely have the scale, resources, and infrastructure to produce a credible ROI that is specific to their program and population.”

Finally, there is an underlying fear that even with the benefits of implementing health and wellness programs, the costs will be prohibitive. However, with so much information on health and wellness readily available, a simple Google search can provide dozens of low-cost ways to get started. Finding something that engages, but does not break the bank, is possible. (Click to download a pdf of 101 low cost ideas)

Engagement is the Global Key

Interestingly, wellness initiatives are most successful in organizations with high levels of employee engagement. That said, some organizations have also used wellness initiatives to increase engagement.

One example of this is the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC) founded in Australia. GCC is a global movement focused on getting people moving. Since its inception in 2003, it has reached nearly 2 million employee participants annually, involving 4,700 organizations across 185 countries. It truly is a global movement.

The GCC program (www.gettheworldmoving.com) is based on turning activities (walk, swim, cycle) into “steps” which are documented and accumulated throughout the term of the program. Employees participate in teams and team progress is monitored and calculated online. Participants literally “walk” around the world as the GCC maps out how far teams travel based on their collective number of steps. Teams can walk virtually from Paris, France to Rio di Janeiro, Brazil.

Highly “gamified”, the program provides interactivity, forums, badges, awards and incentives for both individuals and teams to maintain and increase their steps. Participating companies have seen people improve their health; walk instead of drive, park farther away, go on group walks, use the stairs, and eat better. In addition, the program creates friendly competition. People experience a daily “buzz” as they compare their team’s results with other teams, and find ways to inspire their teams to greater health. The process generates fun and energy in the workplace. Not only do companies who participate have healthier employees when the challenge is finished, they enjoy a closer-knit team that works together more effectively and efficiently. The result is greater engagement and collaboration, and higher productivity.

Finding the Healthy Fit

This is just one example of how engagement and employee wellness are closely linked and affordable. The important thing for any company considering a wellness initiative is that is fits their team, their culture, and their budget.

Here are a few ideas:

A company located outside a city core lacking nearby food/restaurant options could provide healthy snacks for their employees

A downtown company might choose to implement lunch-hour walks, or dedicate a space in the office for stretching or yoga

A company with a large Millennial workforce may choose to implement an online program that contains elements of gaming

Another might provide staff with step counters and create an internal competition.

Consider the following 6 tips before embarking on a health and wellness plan:

Find out what employees want (as opposed to what you think they want)

Consider creating a wellness committee to provide suggestions

Use activities that encourage connection; individual activities are great, but if you want your wellness efforts to really have an impact, they need to connect your team

Start small: try it out, get feedback, and adjust accordingly

Choose something that does not exceed your capacity to administer and maintain

Find ways to measure the effectiveness of your efforts. For example – are people more alert and energetic late in the afternoon on days when they’ve gone for a lunch hour walk? This can help you determine what’s working and what isn’t.

Dr. Cynthia Akrill, a physician trained in neuroscience, wellbeing and leadership, coaching, and expert GCC Consultant captures it precisely when she says,

“Cultures that promote wellbeing, safety and human connection drive engagement and ultimately become more competitive. Employers can create a culture that connects it to better business outcomes.”

The research shows that individuals with healthier lifestyles tend to cost companies less and are more productive at work. A healthier, less stressed, more productive workforce AND higher levels of engagement, emotional commitment and behaviours that lead to improved business outcomes? The ROI on employee wellness is pretty clear.

Starting something big and new. Something that impacts your life or work in a major way carries with it a lot of emotion and energy. Whether you’re starting a new business, starting a new process, product or program in your business, starting a new career, or starting out towards a personal or professional goal, you’re going to experience fear, self-doubt, anxiety, and maybe a little bit of “crazy”. But you’re also going to experience exhilaration, excitement, enthusiasm, and adventure. Startings bring with them a wide range of energy drains and adrenaline-driven moments and sometimes both at the same time! But what would life be like without startings?

Starting something new is a risk. You’re taking a blank canvas and determining what you are going to put on it to create the masterpiece that is our business or your life. Will everyone like what they see once you start adding colours and textures to your something new? Probably not. But if you’re true to the vision that got you to take the risk in the first place, it won’t really matter. If you surround yourself with people who support you with honesty and integrity, you’ll have the resources to keep you going after the initial “start burst” is over and you’re 100 miles into the journey.

Startings keep life interesting. They keep our creativity flowing and help us maintain a healthy level of risk-taking that moves us toward greater learning and growth outside our comfort zones.

While startings are exciting, they often carry with them some baggage. Leaving (or ending) something is usually required before you start. Even if you leave a bad job for a new one, there is loss. Loss of collegial relationships, loss of a routine and familiarity, loss of a lovely workspace, loss of what’s known. These losses will impact you in ways you may not realize. No matter what you’re starting, take some time to acknowledge what you are ending, and give yourself time to acknowledge and process any emotions around those losses to give yourself the best chance to succeed in your new beginning.

Have you started something new lately? Maybe it’s time! Take a leap, set some goals and move toward those things that have been on your “I’ll do it someday” list for far too long. Start it today!